Reuters retaliated against a journalist for raising concerns about the company's ties to ICE, union alleges - Poynter

"The union representing Reuters editorial staff is accusing the company of retaliating against a contractor journalist for participating in internal chats raising concerns about the company's ties with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The journalist, podcast producer Evan Jacoby, said Reuters had questioned him in March over whether he had leaked information to the media, reported internal discontent at the company. Even though Reuters found no wrongdoing, the company later told Jacoby it would not renew his contract despite having previously told him that he would be hired full-time. His contract expired last month. The union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board on Thursday, alleging that Reuters had violated labor law."

""These people were asking questions about whether those contracts could compromise Reuters' appearance of independence and freedom from bias," said Joseph Ax, a national affairs correspondent and the vice chair of the Reuters Guild. "We have the right to do that without being afraid of losing our livelihood.""

"Reuters' parent company, Thomson Reuters, has faced increasing scrutiny in recent months for its multimillion-dollar contracts with DHS. In addition to operating a wire news service, Thomson Reuters maintains large databases that it licenses to clients, along with other information and data analytics tools. Immigration advocates have raised concerns that those tools help law enforcement identify targets during raids."

"Reuters has said that while its tools "provide law enforcement access to critical information when every second counts," they are not "surveillance" tools and lack surveillance capabilities. "Thomson Reuters remains focused on supporting lawful investigations that make a positive impact on communities through our people, products, and partnerships, while maintaining strong safeguards around respons"

A union representing Reuters editorial staff alleges Reuters retaliated against a contractor journalist for participating in internal chats that raised concerns about the company’s ties to the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The journalist, a podcast producer, said Reuters questioned him in March about whether he leaked information to the media and later found no wrongdoing. The company then told him it would not renew his contract despite earlier assurances of full-time employment, and his contract expired. The union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board. The parent company faces scrutiny over multimillion-dollar DHS contracts and licensing of databases and analytics tools used by law enforcement. Reuters says its tools provide access to critical information, are not surveillance tools, and lack surveillance capabilities.

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